Manchester United, Extreme Networks enhance fan experience
Extreme Networks, a cloud-driven networking company, has announced a multi-year partnership with Manchester United to serve as the club's official Wi-Fi network solutions provider and official Wi-Fi analytics provider.
Ed Meyercord, President and CEO, Extreme Networks, said: "Speed, precision and performance are equally important on and off the pitch, and Manchester United is investing to make the stadium experience just as impressive as the match itself.
“We're thrilled to partner with one of the world's most celebrated sports clubs to provide the technical DNA that will forever change the way fans experience Old Trafford. We believe the combination of Extreme's Wi-Fi 6 and analytics will provide the insights and scale required to ensure success and that fans won't miss a beat," he concluded.
Collette Roche, Chief Operating Officer, Manchester United, said: "Our collaboration with Extreme Networks is an important step in our drive to enhance and modernise the in-stadium fan experience at Old Trafford, opening up exciting opportunities for the Club to deliver next-generation digital services to fans on matchdays and to visitors throughout the year."
He added: "Old Trafford is known as The Theatre of Dreams because of its 112-year history of triumphs and dramas. With experience working with other iconic venues around the world, Extreme will help us keep our stadium up to date while preserving the character that makes it unique. Providing fast, reliable Wi-Fi to fans, underpinned by cutting-edge analytics to optimise performance, is a crucial part of that process."
Key Facts
- Connectivity Required for Next-Generation Fan Experiences: The deployment of Extreme Wi-Fi 6 access points at Old Trafford Stadium will power faster wireless speeds and low latency, providing the highest quality connection and a performance boost for secure fan-facing technology such as mobile ticketing and other digital offerings.
- Cloud-Driven Analytics: ExtremeAnalytics provides Manchester United with rich data sets and insights around performance and usage, dwell time and location-based services – in real-time. As a result, the club can continuously review and optimise venue management by identifying stadium bottlenecks, overcrowded concessions and other consumer traffic patterns, while gaining insights into fan activity to better customise experiences and pinpoint sponsorship opportunities.
- Enhancing the Experience Beyond the Pitch: Extreme offers high-speed wireless connectivity specifically customised for high-density venue environments and bandwidth-heavy apps and devices used by both fans and club officials. ExtremeWireless Wi-Fi 6 access points also support increased network efficiency to power secure in-stadium services.
- Simple and Efficient Cloud-Managed Networking: Network administrators have a real-time view into the health, performance and security of their network. Leveraging a single interface, ExtremeCloud IQ helps stadium officials monitor and control Wi-Fi capacity and efficiency, device configuration, traffic patterns and analytics to streamline management and performance of the network, while scaling IT operations.
Extreme Networks sports milestones
The installation of Extreme Wi-Fi 6 access points at Old Trafford will begin later this year to transform the fan experience with fast, reliable Wi-Fi connectivity and increase the Club's capability to deliver high-performance, low-latency and secure digital services.
Additionally, Extreme will help Manchester United access real-time network analytics to drive more personalised and informed decisions around both the fan experience and overall venue operations.
